Looking for install FreeBSD 9 on BIOS RAID0 information

K

kec

I haven't noticed documentation or forum threads describing how to install using a BIOS RAID setup. Please point me to the relevant documentation or reply with additional information.

I don't believe some of the RAID1 Howto (e.g. gpart backup $disk0 | gpart restore -F $disk1) applies to RAID0. Based upon the limited information I've found, I expect to use graid and maybe geom prior to partition editing.

In case my system information is relevant, my test system is a ECS KN3 Motherboard with a pair of PATA hard drives connected to the JMB363 controller.
 
If you're going to use the RAID in the BIOS FreeBSD will simply see one big disk. The howtos you found use FreeBSD's software RAID.

I recommend using the software RAID though. If your controller dies you'll have a hard time finding a compatible one that will read your existing disks. With software RAID you don't have that problem. Performance wise it's not going to matter much, machines are powerful enough these days. Besides, it's likely the RAID on your motherboard is fake-RAID anyway.
 
Some progress but not yet enough ...

I'm sorry everyone but I appear to lack the FreeBSD (or Unix) experience to diagnose my current problem.

To get through installation, I believe I did the following:
1. dropped to a shell and executed the following
2. graid load
3. graid label jmicron raid RAID0 ForgottenName1 ForgottenName2
4. exit
Resumed installation ...

In particular I don't understand and haven't found documentation or examples that allow me to correctly start after the boot.

If I go to the loader prompt, I can see the expected "/" directories, files, and contents (e.g. boot/loader.conf, etc/fstab, ...). Executing lsdev shows:
Code: 
cd devices:
disk devices:
   disk0: BIOS drve C:
      disk0p1: FreeBSD boot
      disk0p2: FreeBSD UFS
      disk0p3: FreeBSD swap
pxe devices:

Executing "show" from loader prompt includes interesting information:
Code: 
loaddev=disk0p2
loader_conf_files=/boot/device.hints /boot/loader.conf ...

Executing "more /boot/loader.conf" from loader prompt shows whatever I last saved into loader.conf.

Executing "more /etc/fstab" from loader prompt shows:
Code: 
/dev/raid/r0p2 /    ufs  rw 1 1
/dev/raid/r0p3 none swap sw 0 0

I've tried many things in the loader.conf and a couple things in fstab but I keep ending up at the "mountroot>" prompt after an error message similar to:
Code: 
Mounting from ufs:/dev/raid/r0p2 failed with error 19.

Most of what I've tried is based upon information from the following URLs:
http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=29098
http://daemon-notes.com/articles/install/install-ufs

To make changes, I've been booting the "Live CD", executing "graid load", then mounting /dev/raid/r0p2 so I can edit the files.

I ran out of ideas so I'm again hoping someone with more experience can spot the problem. I'd hate for this thread to end without sufficient information for the next newbie.
 
Just guessing: is the graid module being loaded in /boot/loader.conf?
Code: 
geom_raid_load="YES"
 
  • Thanks
Reactions: kec
Now the BIOS RAID installation boots!

Thank you for the correction above. Based upon the references I had found (e.g. the URLs mentioned earlier), I had tried things like:
Code: 
graid_load="YES"
geom_stripe_load="YES"

To help make it clear to others reading this later, this is the suggestion that works:
Code: 
geom_raid_load="YES"

As soon as I tried the # geom raid load command and it looked like the # graid load results, I was hopeful that your suggestion would work.
 
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